In the Traveler's Light, and Heart of the Galaxy
by Sceptic62
Summary: In the grace of the Traveler's light, we sung. In the golden age of humanity, we sung. And in the age of Darkness? We sing. But no longer do we sing of grace, or peace, or prosperity. We are the Guardians, and our souls sing in the name of those who fell. We sing of war, and of victory! A MExDestiny crossover.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: New story yay!

Dust flew off the surface of the red planet. The noise of the shuttle engines came to a low hum as the occupants prepared for drop onto the unforgiving terrain. Clawed feet hit the ground, and immediately the strike team raised their rifles in preparation.

"Be prepared for anything, we have no clue what species opened the relay. For all we know, the things that killed the scouting team could be as advanced as the Protheans." The team nodded in recognition of their leader's command. He made quick hand gestures with his three fingers. Silent commands that registered as 'Break up. Squads of 3.'

"Move out!" Ordered Saren Arterius. Not one to lead from behind, Saren Arterius was a true soldier of the Heirarchy through and through. Commemorated with multiple honors, at the simple age of 17, Saren Arterius was already leading his own fire teams into battles that few soldiers of the Turian Hierarchy would even be considered for. He and his squad of three headed north through the red dust clouds, eventually fading out of sight.

In orbit, the ships of Turian Hierarchy were simply sitting. Waiting. Watching. The first sign of a life came from the _Advancement_, a specially designed scout corvette purposely sent with the Turian fleet to investigate the mysterious disappearances behind relay 314. From the most scum filled Batarian ships, to even a group of STG stealth corvettes, all went dark behind the relay. The communications operator of the Dreadnought _Indomitable_ acted immediately.

"Sir, we've got incoming transmissions from the _Advancement_."

"Patch them through." A grim voice stated from the head position of the Command Center. General Arcterius was a Turian of noble merit, and of even greater strategic genius. He slowly surveyed the stars above the red dust ball, eyes looking for anything out of place. He turned to face the command deck and projector and motioned for the deckhands to bring up the comms systems.

"General!" The captain of the _Advancement_ saluted. Desolas saluted in response and nodded.

"Captain. Tell me, what has over 60 million credits of R&amp;D bought us? " It was obvious from the snide remark that Desolas was not one for such an expenditure of the Heirarchy funds on a single corvette. Of course, the sheer amount of technological advancements on the small ship was astounding. It even had STG scout teams beat in terms of information acquiring.

"Well, it's bought us enough information to know that a _frigate_ just appeared out of nowhere, _in_ _atmosphere._" Had Desolas been drinking at that point in time, he surely would have been justified in doing a spit take. To be precise enough to jump from planet to planet _in atmosphere?_

'What in the world are we facing? To simply teleport into atmosphere with an entire ship?' Arterius thought to himself.

"I want every gun on every ship aimed at that frigate. If it managed to teleport into the atmosphere, there's no telling what else it might hide." Arterius wasn't even able to contemplate a plan before the captain of the _Advancement_ dropped the figurative bomb of the millenium.

"Sir, 6 more vessels appeared in orbit and are making their way to the frigate. They all just jumped out of light speed." The operator said.

"What, I don't see anything."

"That's because they're all the size of a personal shuttle, and no eezo readings on the shuttles or even the frigate," Desolas simply couldn't take it all in. Personal shuttles with light speed capabilities? Frigates that can teleport into orbit? No eezo?

"Call the ground team, I want them out. We're calling this off before any other surprises happen that could get us killed." Desolas watched as the monitor enhanced on the 6 shuttles entering the atmosphere of the red planet. All six of them flew in coordination, all to the last recorded location of the frigate.

"Lieutenant Arterius, the General is requesting for your team to reach an evac zone. Hostiles have been spotted in atmosphere above you."

"No shit!" Saren exclaimed as he dodged a third salvo of plasma from the hostile aliens. Part of debris shot out over the cover, and right onto his arm. Immediately, his right ear was filled with static.

'Damn it, that debris broke the damned omni-tool comms.' Saren was getting desperate. Backs to a wall of stone, the squad leader carefully watched the walking tank. Literally walking. Six legs, solid armor, and a mounted plasma cannon sure as hell made it obvious that hostiles were spotted. If that wasn't enough, these 4 armed turian rejects had shields that could eat 4 thermal clips out of his Avenger and not even flare. He ducked behind cover as soon as his thermal clip overheated. The salvo crashed into the hill, and to Saren, it felt like the whole planet was shaking. He looked to his left and watched as Nihlus, his XO, drag the other soldier's wounded body into cover. He jammed another thermal clip into his Avenger, and waited. He looked over the partially disolved concrete and saw a shimmer outlining a leg. He unloaded and watched in satisfaction as the cloak dissipated and revealed the riddled body of what appeared to be a mutated Turian with 4 arms. He turned to his left and shouted.

"They've got Infiltrator cloaks, watch your backs!" Nihlus nodded in response, and popped out of cover to return fire as Saren prepared another biotic warp.

'They eat warps as though they were practice rounds, and the larger armored ones completely ignore our mass effect rounds their biotic shields.' He looked over at Nihlus and the downed commando. About thirty feet away, Saren was too far from his squad to make a run for it, and his squad was too injured to retrieve him. He saw another glimmer in the air behind Nihlus, and watched in abject horror as a sword made its way through the air. For Saren, time slowed. He tried to load his last clip, in hopes of saving his two squad members. The thermal clip slipped into its socket, and immediately, Saren pulled up the rifle, aiming right for where the head would be. He pulled the trigger. The thermal clip came flying out of its chamber once more, and Saren watched, stunned.

'I loaded a spent clip.' For all his honors, accolades, and experiences, not even the great Saren Arterius was immune to mistakes.

"NIHLUS, BEHIND!" He shouted with all his might. Hoping that the soldier would turn around to at least stall for Saren to cover him. Nihlus never stopped firing. He just looked at Saren once and nodded. Nihlus never turned around. He layed down cover fire for Saren until the sword came out his chest plate, buying even a little time so that at least Saren would be able to run. On Saren's HUD, Nihlus's name flashed red for a few moments. Then, Thunder came. Saren watched as a blitz of plasma turned the four armed infiltrator into shreds. It sounded akin to a chain ripping across a metal sheet at high speeds, a sound which matched no rifle in Citadel space. Saren looked over towards the source of the fire. On a ridge above the wall they were backed into, came a large humanoid being. With a size greater than some Krogan, the massive armored being launched itself at the hostile shoulder first. Then, what could only be described as a bubble of purple light rose up, easily deflecting both the tank salvos and covering Saren's injured teammates from further harm. Just as Saren was about to run over and check on what the giant being was doing, he heard a loud bang right next to his ears. Pulling himself away from the sound, Saren covered his ears as he turned to his right, watching something decloak.

"An Asari?" He asked himself quietly. Or at least, it appeared to be an Asari. It was wearing form fitting gear, made of the same material as the bubble giant, with cloth pieces at the joints for more movement. She wore a hood with an elaborate design, and carried a sniper rifle almost as large as she was. Saren wasn't even allowed to regain his thoughts before the..._strangest_ one came jumping over the cliff. Wreathed in what appeared to be golden biotic energy, Saren watched as the being unloaded an unbelievable amount of what appeared to be miniature _suns_ into the oncoming horde of enemies. It was even stranger when he heard what the being whispered. For it was certainly in a different language, and most definitely inaudible over the sounds of battle. But Saren heard the being nonetheless, and he was sure that everything on the battlefield heard it as well.

_"These motherfuckers...Do not even Praise The Sun."_

The alien being next to Saren merely nodded, as though she were dealing with something all too familiar, and was all too fed up dealing with it to muster anymore of a reply. The golden glow wore off, and Saren was finally able to get a good look at the third member. Covered in what appeared to be pure cloth armor, complete with a cloth adornment piece and helmet such as the others, the biotic teleported down to the battle. Quickly recognizing they were under qualified for the battle, the enemy horde slowly dissipated, never turning their backs, and never taking their rifles off of the three standing aliens. Saren thought they were insane, but slowly, the sound of machinery and screeching of those horrid two armed creatures faded.

'Wait, Nihlus, Garrus!' Saren though as he ran right out of cover, and ran over to where his teammates were. The moment he entered the purple light, however, he felt completely rejuvenated, as though no hours long battle had taken place. He made his way over to his teammates, only to be stopped.

"What are you doing! They need a medic!" Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to shout what was most certainly heard as gibberish at a being that could probably take on two fully loaded Krogan, unarmed and unassisted. The giant pointed at Saren, and pointed down. Unwilling to follow orders, Saren prepared to throw biotic laden fist at the titan. The sound of two weapons being armed and pressed against the back of his head caused him to completely forget about that idea. Saren sat down as told, and watched as the three conversed. He crawled over to Nihlus and Garrus.

"How's Nihlus, Garrus?" The wounded soldier propped himself up on his one good arm and gave his report.

"Sir, he was stabbed in the back. By a sword. His armor was forged with the eezo stress-compact process, and it was torn through like paper. By a sword. Other than that, the big fella over there has been using that weird biotic shield to keep us alive. Hell, my arm doesn't even hurt anymore, and it looks good as new!" Garrus showed his injured limb to the Lieutenant. While "good as new" was certainly a strong description, Saren couldn't deny that the wound looked as though it was months old, instead of an hour old. Saren looked at Nihlus, and looked over the bleeding wound. While it was definitely better than a fresh stab wound, Nihlus's chance of survival were still slim. Saren looked up at the group of three. The _strange_ one teleported from where he was standing out into the middle of the battle field, looked around, and came back. In its hand, it held what looked like a weaker version of the solar based grenades it used earlier. It walked over to Saren, looked down at Nihlus, and pointed at its hand, then at Nihlus.

"Do it." Saren said with little apprenhension while nodding.

"Are you insane Saren? That's the same stuff it was tossing around earlier. Did you see what it did? It MELTED the stone, stone by the way, that didn't even melt to intense PLASMA CANNONS!" Saren shot one look at the commando telling him to shutup. It was their only hope to save Nihlus.

'Worse comes to worse, his death will be a less painful experience' Saren thought to himself. He watched the being crush the light in its hand, and whisper once more.

_"May the Traveler's Light become your Light"_ With that, the being released the crushed light, watching as it faded into Nihlus's body. His breathing slowly stabilized and Saren quickly checked his vitals. He nodded once to the being in appreciation, then nodded to Garrus, signalling that Nihlus would live. The hooded "asari" came over, and motioned for the other to join them. Saren watched as they seemingly agreed on something by nodding. Then, out of nowhere, 3 VI platforms came into existence. Then, as one, the three looked to the sky expecting something. Saren and Garrus watched the sky as well, and watched as three odd looking shuttles landed. The strange one motioned for Garrus, the gigantic one motioned for Nihlus's unconscious body, and the cloaked one motioned for Saren.

"They want us to follow them."

"What?"

"They want us to follow them to where ever they're going, and I think we should."

"I'm sorry if I'm out of turn here, sir, but, why in the hell would we follow them, Saren? I mean, I'm supposed to follow your orders and all, but this is just insane!"

"They're friendly Garrus, and there is no telling how long that medicine or whatever will last. We need to get Nihlus healed."

"What about your brother?"

"I'll leave a beacon, but for now, help me get Nihlus over to the big guy."

"You mean the one that probably eats Krogan for breakfast, sir?"

"At least he doesn't treat a helium-hydrogen reaction as a god."

"Fair point." They both got up from their sitting positions, and dragged Nihlus over to the ship. Then, after the deed was done, they split up to their respective shuttles.

"Why do I always get the insane ones?" Garrus mumbled as he jumped into the cockpit of the clothwearing sun-praiser. As Saren watched them both blast off into the edges of the atmosphere, he turned on his comms.

"Indomitable, I've made contact with natives, both hostile, and friendly. Two of my 3 man squad have been heavily injured, and will be going with the natives to receive treatment. The rest of the fire team has already been evacuated. Our comms are broken. I'll be leaving a beacon once we land somewhere safe. Saren out."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Yo, gonna try to update every two weeks or something. Keyword being try. Here's chapter two. Also, my next priority is probably going to be my DSXRYBW Crossover (R.I.P. Monty Oum) and my 5D's x FoZ in that order. And maybe some small LoLxNaruto thing with Yasuo (Who is literally the coolest. Literally). **

Primarch Tirach was not a patient birdman. He was not a joking birdman. Hell, one would even say, that he was so strict and reverent of the "True Turian Way", that he could turn a no-paint into the greatest Turian patriot and hero known to the galaxy. People should know. He was the one who trained Saren and his squad of course. Even his stature and form screamed "Turian Soldier" exemplified. Standing a good head above other Turians, and with enough strength to challenge Krogan warlords to arm wrestling matches and come out even, the Primarch cut an imposing figure. Even his facial features, scarred as they were, showed the sheer epicness and story that was the Primarch. So one would be wise to assume that he was irrationally angry when he heard the news.

"They are demanding what!?" Tirach shouted straight into the holographic receiver. The deckhand on the other end was visibly blown back by the decibels emitted by Tirach's mandibles. The news was bad enough as it was, but the fact that his own General and student wouldn't deliver the news was especially insulting.

"S-Sir, the "friendly" forces Lieutenant Arterius made contact with are demanding a conference with you. Lieutenant Arterius is willing to pull his Spectre status into the equation and demand an audience from the council if you are unwilling to cooperate." The deckhand was visibly flinching. He was no combat scarred battle grunt, just a normal Turian trying to serve out his mandatory military duty. One would wonder how even now he was able to handle the _intensity_ of Tirach.

'_Enough to pull the council into this? What in the world is Saren thinking?'_ Tirach thought to himself. Saren was never one to abuse his power. Hell, he barely even wanted to accept Spectre status. When approached about his refusal, Saren explained "I'm a weapon sir. A Turian weapon. I am not going to bow down to these councillors who are more than likely to send me on anti-Turian espionage runs." Patriot and hero through and through. Tirach did not create simple soldiers.

"Very well. If he believes it's that serious." And with that, the Primarch simply stood up, and walked out of his office to get his warships prepared. With the intelligence he received from the _Indomitable_, it was better to be safe than sorry. He made it to his office door, before he remembered something.

"Ensign!" Tirach shouted abruptly. The deckhand that had returned to his duties aboard the _Indomitable_ saluted and began addressing the Primarch's chair as though he were still there. He was simply that intense.

"SIR!" The deckhand responded. Hand across his chestplate, and head held at attention.

"What's your name?" Tirach questioned. While it wasn't easily seen, Tirach had quickly analysed the young deckhand and deemed him worthy.

"Ensign Adrien Victus, Sir!" The deckhand, now known as Victus, exclaimed.

"Good. Report to me immediately for reassignment and training once the _Indomitable_ returns from its expedition." And with that, the Tirach, took the last few remaining steps outside his office. The poor ensign simply sighed.

"To think that this all started because I drew the shortest straw among ensigns. I hate my life." Victus lowered his head onto his console in defeat. Was it too much to ask the Spirits to allow him to peacefully serve out his mandatory assignment? He wanted to be a baker damn it, not a war hero!

**-(A.N. Poor Victus)-**

_Hours Earlier_

When Saren Arterius stepped out of the highly advanced personal space vessel, the last thing he was expecting was a city in such ruin.

'_Eat your heart out Palaven slums.'_ Saren thought to himself. He stood on the edge of a large balcony, upon a tower that oversaw the whole city. On the very edge he saw massive walls and turrets equalling the tower in height, protecting the city. He could see patrols, the size of which were indiscernible at this distance. However, none of them compared to the monstrosity of what appeared to be a mobile space station in disrepair. He could very faintly pick out the golden glow being projected by the sphere, creating a large geometrical shield around the city.

'_A station that is bigger than the Citadel and easily rivals a small moon. Not only that, but it projects a strong enough shield to protect this city from orbital bombardment.'_ He determined. Yet still, the technology and evolution around him left him in awe.

'_Hell, even this stupid tower, and those stupid walls defy all that Turians know of modern physics and materials.'_ Saren thought to himself. It was quite simple to see why. The structures were massive and unbelievably thick. He saw it from orbit. However, the sheer amount of weight they produced would have made it impossible to be built this high, or have foundations this sturdy. And they didn't have the natural curvature or "segmented" structure that eezo developed architecture was known for. However, Saren was confused. Because even with this technology, the species he had accidentally encountered were forced to live in horrid conditions. Even from his ridiculously high position, he could see scrap metal houses, what appeared to be their women and children in rags, and their armored soldiers patrolling every alleyway keeping peace. If they were so advanced, why was their apparent capital city in worse condition than an Outer Terminus ghetto? Saren felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned and was met face to helmet with _The Strange One_, or so he had dubbed the armband wearing rescuer. The being was pantomiming some ridiculous motions. One apparently looked like he was praising some god. And another looked like he was trying to imitate a sunrise. He appeared to be trying to get Saren to come with him for some odd reason, one which Saren was more than happy to ignore.

"Omnitool, how long until I have a working translation?" Saren directed to his wrist.

"1.1 millicycles." A metallic voice responded. In exactly 1.1 millicycles, he could understand and hear _The Strange One_'s voice. Saren was not looking forward to the time after 1.1 millicycles.

"-and so, that's when the Shank learned that one does not simply mate with Joker's baby, no one touches MY sparrow and gets away with it. But why the hell am I blathering? Not like you can understand me, so come on and-" The blue humanoid started.

"But I can understand you now." That one small statement shut the cloaked being up. Saren was secretly happy with himself. It was probably the last moment of peace he'd have until the Turian rescue team decided he was worth the trouble to be rescued.

"How the hell? You know what, it doesn't even matter, I've seen weirder shit. You can explain this to the head honcho when you meet him. But first, your buddy just woke up and was thrashing around, screaming and screeching his bloody head off. So we need you to explain the situation and calm him down." Saren simply nodded and motioned for the strange man to show him the way. As they both walked through the tower to what was the presumed medical bay, Saren looked around at all the soldiers gathered. They were scattered, and at most, gathering in 6 man squads at different booths and accepting missions that way. He even saw what appeared to be a veteran of the species, judging by his scratched and nicked armor, and torn cloak, carrying a cloth sack of misshapen material to one of the vendor booths. Unlike a formal military, he mused, they seemed to work on mercenary contracts, assigned by the different sects, judging by the banners he saw. Interestingly enough, Saren noted, was that every single one of the military members were using their helmets to keep their faces and voices hidden. He could tell, because once he and the blue one passed, he could hear unmuffled voices discussing his "avian traits". On the bright side, he finally picked up a name for the species. "Human". He rolled it around his mandibles for a while, and decided the sounds were apt.

"So what's your name? My name is Jeff "Joker" Moreau. Pilot and driver extraordinaire. Comedian. Warlock. And overall badass." The human in front of him said.

"Lieutenant Saren Arterius of the Turian Hierarchy. ID Number 15423" He stated abruptly, following his training in cases of capture. They walked a few more feet before coming to a crossroads and Joker scratched his head in bemusement.

"Jeez dude, we're not gonna kill ya or interrogate ya, no matter how much you look like the Fallen. Now, if only I could remember whether we take a left or a-"

"The medical bay is on your right and one flight down Mr. Moreau." A female robotic voice interrupted him. Saren quickly drew his pistol and aimed it immediately at the strange box that materialized over the man's shoulder. It had one glowing bulb in its center and seemed to be a mass of triangles with bases pointed towards the center. He was about to pull the trigger when the warlock knocked his hand up with a quick block and forced him to shoot into the ceiling. It was quickly stopped by the metallic substance the wall was made of and absorbed into it.

"Yo, calm down there Big Bird! It's just a Ghost, every human has one. They're like personal assistants." Saren let out a quiet breath. He inspected it more closely, deeming it was of little threat, except for the fact that it had sharp edges. He kept his weapon trained on the block though.

"Is it a V.I. or an A.I.?" Saren questioned abruptly. Joker looked away and scratched is neck bashfully, thinking of an answer.

"I guess it's a mix of both. It's forced to follow our commands, but has enough understanding of self awareness and how to operate tasks that it generally functions independently of its human for the human's benefit. Mine is named E.D.I. Electronic Demonic Irritation." He put his arms up in a disarming manner as the Turian accepted the answer and holstered his weapon.

"Mr. Moreau, my actual designation is-" E.D.I. started before she was interrupted. Joker sighed.

"Just be quiet E.D.I. and give us directions" Joker said defeatedly.

"Of course Mr. Moreau." As Saren followed the small box leading the way, he could not understand the true threat potential of the box. On one hand, AI were absurdly dangerous. On the other hand, shackled AI had such great benefits. He simply filed away the information for later, maybe the eggheads on the _Advancement_ could debate over it. Right now, it was time to be practical, and following the Council laws in unexplored space was certainly not practical. Perhaps Garrus was faring better than he was. Compared to the incessant, annoying, and outright irritating chatterbox and his actual chatterbox, Garrus must have been having a splendid time.

**With Garrus:**

"So what's your race like?"

"..."

"I see, practical and efficient. I like it."

When the big goliath he was with turned around, all he saw was a :l represented by dots on the behemoth's multi-lit domed helmet. The titan often let his helmet do the talkkng. An Insurmountable Skullfort was cool like that.

"Cool cool, I dig it. My commander's an asshole. How about yours?"

:l

"Not much of a talker are you?"

._.

"I guess not."

**With Saren:**

Yep, Saren Arterius was willing to bet his family name, brother's honor, his honor, and his seat as 20th Primarch Heir Apparent that Garrus was having more fun than he was.

**A/N: Bet none of you saw that coming. If you don't want spoilers, don't read this line IIIIIII Joker is an exo, because fuck brittle bone disease. EDI is his ghost because even though I like dinkle bot, EDI is a better foil IIIII On to the next mission guardians. Also, the Titan's helmet is **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys. Had exams. Just a heads up, I saw the error about ghosts, but I honestly don't care. I'm basically using both worlds as a basis for a story. So a bunch of events and timeline stuff is gonna conflict with the real story and as a result probably only mentioned in passing. However, this story will be consistent with itself. And, I'm also saying this because I've read one too many stories that implement this recently, but things like rape will probably never occur in my stories. It's not that I'm against dark stories, I just find it poetically lacking and morally disgusting as character motivation. The worst I will ever delve into topics like that is implied torture and edging close to the boundaries. I'm sorry if anyone feels differently, but I just can't write or read that crap even if it's implied. Makes me sick. Now that the dark stuff and serious stuff is out of the way, on with the adventures of Shepard and the Lawful good aligned Saren. (You can now skip the rest of the note which is a rant) **

**I'm still super butthurt you can't redeem Saren. If it weren't for his racism, he's a super cool character and villain. I'm also super butthurt about Thorn, but not in the sense you'd think. I finally got the bounty after denying it last time, and finished everything but Xyor in 5 hours. The day after I went on my vacation, and now I'm in China for 6 weeks without an xbone and go back to school the day I get back. I'm butthurt that I can't make other people super butthurt about the thorn. Bungie pls. Oh, I still can't decide on a pairing, but for now I'm probably going to do femshep and Liara, or femshep and Saren. One has a sort of basis in story already, but the other is the only other one that could reasonably work given how guardians work. Maybe even Garrus. Cause who doesn't love Garrus?**

**/rant**

Nihlus slowly came to. And then passed out again. Once more he came to, only to see the stars passing by in a FTL stream. Then he passed out again. Being Nihlus right now sucked Elcor genitals.

_'Do Elcor even have proper genitals?'_ Nihlus thought to himself. It was quite safe to say, Nihlus, being an alien being, was not handling his exposure to a Titan's Ward of Dawn very well. Nihlus once more fell into the grips of unconsciousness. When he did eventually, properly reawaken, he was greeted with the white glare of a medical bay room, and the strict face of his young commander. Nihlus in a panic scanned the area, looking for any signs of the strange four-limb monstrosities that he was fighting. Saren, quickly grasped Nihlus by the soldiers, and forced the older Turian back into bed.

"Don't worry, Nihlus. The battle's over. But...there were certain complications. Nothing disastrous, but something major is about to occur, and I request that you simply keep an open mind and a hefty resolve." Saren patiently explained to his subordinate, trying to calm him over the recent near-death experience. Nihlus simply nodded, and let himself lay down to rest longer. Putting his hand on Nihlus's shoulder, Saren gripped it tightly, reaffirming him before continuing.

"We have made first contact. They're friendly, to be succinct. But, given what I had seen, they're at war, and it's hard to describe the confusion I have about it. So for now, we've agreed to be in effect, political prisoners, in exchange for your medical treatment, and a conference with the Turian Hierarchy." Nihlus nearly shot out of his bed once more, his pride not allowing him to take such information easily.

"Prisoners? A turian does not surrender Saren, you know this better than any of us. Especially not for something as trivial as a single soldier's life." Nihlus argued. Saren's reaction was mute, his face still set in a grim facet.

"True. A normal commander would never risk the Hierarchy for something as trivial as a single soldier. But...you, Nihlus, and the rest of my squad, even Garrus, are comrades and friends. I would be remiss in my duties as your friend if I did not take that risk." In the few years of serving under Saren, Nihlus has never seen his commander express such a raw amount of emotion. It simply did not fit the man's scarily efficient modus operandi.

_'Even with all his bravado and accolades, he's still just a kid trying to do right by his comrades'_ Nihlus thought to himself, smiling just a little bit to assure Saren in his decision. Of course, this lovely moment of camaraderie had to be ruined.

"Oi, I know the code preaches about brotherly love, but I don't want to see any brotherly _love_, if you get what I'm saying?" Garrus teased from the open doorway. Taking his rude comment as a reasonable entrance, Garrus strode in to the room, grabbing one of the seats nearby, and slinging it next to Nihlus's bed before plopping down onto it. He turned to Saren before continuing.

"So? Did you find any information? My tour guide didn't say a single word. He just kept on looking at me with this blank stare that he displayed on his helmet. I do believe he thought I was an idiot." Nihlus and Saren shared a look when Garrus mentioned that, and shared in some good natured snickering at Garrus's expense. Garrus could always be trusted to lighten the mood with his jabbering.

"What, what's so funny guys?" Garrus asked.

"Nothing" They both said simultaneously, straightening out their expressions. Garrus looked between both Saren and Nihlus, inspecting their stern faces for some sort of response.

"Anyways," Garrus continued, "Saren, we need to go. I know you want to babysit Nihlus some more, but that funny guy...Joker, said their head honcho wants to talk to us." Saren immediately felt any good cheer leave his body. Now was not the time for goofing off, but a time for action. Once more, he looked at Nihlus, who simply nodded in response. Saren stood up out of his own seat, motioned for Garrus to follow, and strolled out of the room to meet their escort. Garrus simply slapped Nihlus on the shoulder before giving him a thumbs up and leaving himself. They strode out into the hallway, only to be met with the now purple, gold, and dark blue warlock.

"So what do you guys think of the new color scheme? I call it Jester Apogee!" Joker explained excitedly. Not seeing any reaction out of either of the two aliens, the grown man simply pouted, and kicked the floor while mumbling about a "tough crowd". Joker was barely allowed to continue his comedy routine before E.D.I. interrupted him once more.

"Mr. Monroe..." came the monotone voice from the floating mechanism. Joker simply sighed, and nodded, leading the two aliens to the elevator before all three of them clambered in.

"Man, this elevator is so slow. You guys wanna hear some jokes?" Joker asked. Once more he was met with the ruthless glare of a decidedly unamused Saren Arterius. Sensing the hostility, Joker simply turned forward, and whistled a short sharp tune to pass the time. Through the glass, Garrus could see why Saren was so confused about the war. With access to the absurd technology this race was gifted with, how in the world was their city left in such shambles? Even more questions were raised as he thought about the medical facility he just left. Even though the Turians had a completely different anatomy, hell, even their food intake was based on a different protein design, how in the world were they able to effectively heal Nihlus? Beyond his exhaustion, the soldier looked as though he had never taken a bullet in his life, let alone being run through with a sword a day and a half ago. Wisely, Garrus kept his questions to himself, waiting out the ride, trying not to cause an incident.

"Well here we are, top floor of the Guardian Tower and home to the Speaker! Now, let's just step out here, and go and meet up with my fire team and commander. We'll be escorting and act as guards during your interview with the Speaker, to ease any nervousness you guys have." Joker told the two. Slightly perturbed by how willing the alien was to sharing sensitive information, Saren simply nodded in response. Garrus thought to himself. Even simple maneuvering such as familiar faces can hold a lot of sway when it comes to politics. Especially since the man seemed unable to tell a lie. Garrus then reasoned that the only guards there would be Joker, the two others, and any other member of this fire team. Garrus shot a look at Saren who simply nodded in response, having come to the same conclusion. They walked through what could only be best described as a soldier's bazaar held on the roof of the tower. Multiple vendors were seen, selling various high end and low end body armor and weaponry. A few were even selling what appeared to be single personnel land speeders and full on assault ships. As they made their way through the strange "mall", they were met up with 5 other figures. The two from earlier and three new ones.

"Okay guys, let me introduce you to the gang! First up, we have Jenkins, a Striker titan, he doesn't talk much." Joker then motioned to the massive being who stood head and shoulders above the Turians. The humongous being simply waved.

"Then we have James Vega, our Defender. Less intimidating than Jenkins, but way more talkative." Joker pointed out the other large man in the pack, while he didn't compare in stature to the other, they could easily spot his muscles through the material weave between his armor. He nodded at them before speaking.

"Sup amigos?" Both Saren and Garrus nodded back, not understanding the second word in his statement.

"Next is our Voidwalker, Kaidan Alenko. He's part of a cult. " Here, the lean male between the two giants stepped forward and greeted them, dismissing any mention of the cult in his introduction.

"You've guys already met me, I'm a Sunsinger by the way, and proud of it!" Joker exclaimed while pointing to himself.

"This here is Ashley, our resident Gunslinger, best shooter this side of the Milky Way." The last member the two aliens hadn't met yet waved, and Garrus was certainly intrigued about the title that Joker had given her.

"And finally, here's our Commander, Shepard. She's a blade dancer. Which is super intimidating." Leveling a glare at Joker for his introduction, Shepard stepped up and greeted the two aliens, before taking charge of the escort.

"All right, that's enough for introductions everyone, we have to move these guys to the Speaker and act as guard detail. Chop Chop!" She said while clapping her hands together. With that, the group quickly moved through the Bazaar, with other guardians simply dispersing in the presence of the two outsiders. Saren took this time to inspect the armor and gear of his escorts. They certainly seemed...interesting to say the least. The most notable was the piece of flair that each of the soldiers wore, and their interesting choice in armor. Jenkins was wearing the same helmet as yesterday, with it's different flashing lights and such. The piece of cloth attached to his hip was distinctly golden, and carried a coat of arms denoted by multiple triangles. Vega was wearing much different attire, especially his helmet. A giant, purple, fluorescent piece of metal stuck out of his helmet, while his cloth was an interesting white and black lined pattern. Possibly for intimidation factor Saren thought to himself. Alenko was wearing an interesting silver band, with a black strip running down one side. His helmet was composed of a black material that no light escaped. Moving on Saren looked over the two females of the little group. They both wore cloaks. Shepard wore one that was torn at the ends and was composed of a red and white scheme, while Ashley wore a blue cloak that had three interesting symbols. On Shepard's helmet, were three green eyeholes, perhaps denoting a race similar to batarians. Ashley instead carried a set of bones set into the side of her thigh armor. And finally, Joker's entire outfit was centered around his white robes. Taking all of this in, Saren had no idea of what to make of their strange display in armor. However, his thought were quickly interrupted.

"And here we are now, The tower of The Speaker." Shepard said calmly. If Saren was not baffled by the alien architecture before, he was certainly baffled now. The entire miniature tower, similar to the Presidium he noted, was suspended in the air by the single bridge they were walking along. However, he pushed these thoughts aside, quickly trying to ready himself for the upcoming political confrontation.

**A/N: slight cliffhanger and a bit short. I just didn't feel like writing too much and this seemed like the best place to end. Sorry guys. **


End file.
